Steel cross-tie and rail-clamp.



J. S. REED.

STEEL CROSS TIE AND RAIL CLAMP. APPLICATION FILED IAN. I8P Isn.

WTORNEYS JOSEPH SHERMAN REED, 0F WINFIELD, LOUISIANA.

STEEL CROSS-TIE AND RAIL-CLAN?.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. l0, Mtl?.

Application led January 18, 1917. Serial No. 143,089.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JosErr-r SHERMAN REED, residing at Vinnfleld, in theparish of Winn, and State of Louisiana, have invented a new and usefulSteel Cross-Tie and Rail-Clamp, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention, which has 'reference to improvements in railway ties andrail clamps, more particularly seeks to provide an improved, simple,inexpensive and stable con* struction of steel cross tie and rail clamp,in which cooperating portions of the tie and the rail clamping means areparticularly designed for effectively retaining the rails in place andinrwhich the stress of the parts, under pressure of passing trains, isso distributed to the rail and the clamping portions that the rails areheld from lateral hammering against the Aclamping elements and thelatter so secured that the clamp securing members are relieved fromshearing or torsional strain.

With other objects in view that will hereinafter appear, my invention isan improved metallic tie and rail clamp that embodies the peculiarfeatures of construction and novel combination of the parts to bedescribed,l

specifically pointed out in the claims and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of a combined metallic rail tie and clampembodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of one end of the tie, andillustratesthe rail clamp device as operatively applied to the rail.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of one end of the tie and the railclamp device that cooperates with the said tie end, the said devicebeing shown in a position for being removed from the rail and the tie. i

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of one end of the tie, the clamp device beingremoved.

Fig. 5 is 'an inverted plan view of the same end of the tie.

Fig. 6 is an inverted plan view of the said end of the tie with theclamp device operatively applied thereto.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of one of the rail clamp devices, and

Fig. 8 is a cross section of the rail clamp device and the tie taken onthe line 8-8 on Fig. 3.

ln carrying out my invention, I provide a metallic tie, the or bodyportion Vof which is of the general inverted U-shape form in crosssection having integral clamping members 2-2 for engaging the innertread flanges 3-3 of the opposite rails 30-30, as shown.

At each end, the tie has a longitudinally elongated cavity or seat 4,the bottom 40 of which terminates with an inwardly and downwardlyinclined aperture 5 that merges with a longitudinally extended undercutseat or cavity 6 on the under side of the tie and which extends inwardlyfrom the aperture 5, the reason for which will presently appear.

rEhe lower side edges l0 of the tie l and the closure plate l?) haveinterlocking dowels and apertures, as shown.

The clamp members 7, the peculiar construction of which and theircooperative connection with the specially constructed seats andapertures formed in the tie,as before referred to, include a clampinghead 70 having the usual clamping jaw 7l for fitting over the outsideflange of the base of the rail.

Head 70 also includes a pendent body portion 72 that is adapted, whenthe parts are operatively assembled, for freely tting into the seat t inthe upper face of the tie, as is best shown in Fig. 2, by reference towhich it will be seen that the said body portion, formed with atransverse aperture 73, has suliicient longitudinal play in the seat lso that when the clamp is forced back to its limit or operativeposition, that is, when the rail 30 is placed in position, the rear edge72d of the body portion 72, engages the end wall 4l() of the seat l andwith the base portion 7 5 of the head' lapped over the sides and rearupper edges of the' said seat 4, thereby forming, as it were, togetherwith the rail base a perfect top closure for the said seat Ll.

The body of the clamp 7 has a horizontal tread portion 76 which is flushwith the top of the tie when the parts are assembled so as to be engagedby the rail and from the said tread portion, the body of the clampmerges into a vdownwardly inclined member 77 that passes through theinclined aperture in the tie and ends in a forwardly extended hori-Zontal member 78 which fits into the undercut seat on the under side ofthe tie, as shown.

Each end of the tie 1 is transversely apertured as at 15 to receivealocking bolt 9 that passes through the said aperture 15 and the aperturein the body portion of the clamp 72, when the parts are assembled as isbest shown in Figs. 2 and 8, the usual clamp nut 90 being provided forengagement with the bolt 9.

From the foregoing taken in connection with the drawings, the completeconstruction, the manner in which the parts are operatively applied andthe advantages thereof will be readily apparent to those skilled in theart to which my invention relates.

It will be noticed, by referring particularly to Fig. 2, that the reasonof forming the two longitudinally alined seats in the upper and lowersides of the tie top, joining the sides by an inclined aperture, andproviding a clamping member having the peculiar shape stated, that whenapplied, the clamp, while effectively serving to hold the respectivebase flanges of the rail down to the tie, the said clamp is sopositioned upon the tie that the lateral stress from the rail istransmitted through the clamp directly against the tie, since the outerend of the clamp body engages the end wall of the seat l and therebyrelieves the lock bolt from transverse stress.

Further, by forming the inner end of the clamp, as shown and described,the said end is caused to snugly fit the seat on the under side of thetie and form a bottom closure for the aperture through which the frontend of the clamp is entered when adjusted for use. l

By reason of forming the clamp and the tie portion engaged thereby asstated, a rail fastener of a very simple construction is provided, thatis highly eflicient in its operation and extremely strong and durable.

The rails may be quickly fastened upon the ties and, when necessary, theclamps can be almost instantly removed, since by removing .theconnecting bolts 9 and tilting the clamp to the position indicated inFig. 3, the same can be readily pulled up (see arrow) and out ofengagement with the tie.

What I claim is:

1. In a combined rail tie and rail clamping means, the combination witha hollow metallic tie having a pair of opposing integral clampingmembers adapted for receiving the adjacent inner base flanges of a pairof rails, each 0f the ends of the tie having a longitudinally extendedupper and a longitudinally extended lower seat portion, the upper andlower seat portions being in longitudinal alinement, and an aperture inthe tie body connecting the said seat portions; of a clamp deviceincluding a head portion having a member for clamping over the outerbase flange of the rail, a body portion for litting into the upperseatin the tie and in endwise abutment with the end wall of the said upperseat, said body including a tread portion adapted for being engaged bythe rail base and an extension adapted for being slipped through theaperture in the tie that connects the upper and lower seats and with theouter end thereof adapted for resting up in the undercut seat when theparts are at their operative position.

2. In a combined rail tie and rail clamping means, the combination witha hollow metallic tie having a pair of opposing integral clampingmembers adapted for receiving the adjacent inner base flanges of a pairof rails, each of the ends of the tie having a longitudinally extendedupper and a longitudinally extended lower seat portion, the upper andlower seat portions being in longitudinal alinement, and an aperture inthe tie body connecting the said seat portions; of a clamp deviceincluding a head portion having a member for clamping over the outerbase fiange of the rail, a body portion for fitting into the upper seatin the tie and in endwise abutment with the end wall of the said upperseat, said body including a tread portion adapted for being engaged by arail base and an extension adapted for being slipped through theaperture inthe tie that connects the upper and lower seats and with theouter end thereof adapted for resting up in the undercut seat when theparts are at their operative position, the said body portion and thecorresponding opposite walls of the sides-of the upper seat portionhaving alining cross apertures and a bolt and nut connection forcoperating with the said apertured portions of the seat and the body ofthe tie as set forth.

8. A combined metallic railway tie and rail clamp comprising a hollowbody having a pair of oppositely disposed integral rail clamps forengaging the inner adjacent fianges of the opposite rails, the outerends of the tie each having an `elongated seat in the top and a similarseat in the bottom, the two seats being in longitudinal alinement and adiagonally projected aperture that connects the top and bottom seats, aclamp having a jaw for fitting over the outer base flange of the rail,and a body portion adapted for sea ting in the top seat of the rail,said clamp also including an inclined member adapted for projectingthrough the inclined aperture in the tie and a forwardly extend'- ed endfor litting into the seat in. the under side of the tie and means forholding the clamp positioned in the said upper and lower seats and inthe inclined aperture.

' hi. JOSEPH SHERMAN REED.

mark Attest:

P. K. ABEL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained f'or ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of'Patents, Washington, D. 0'.

